New Delhi: Japan spoke out in favour of Bhutan and India and said that China must not try and change the status quo by force. But the country is now facing the wrath of Beijing, which has said that Tokyo must not make "random comments." (ibtimes.co.in)

The Chinese foreign ministry has warned Japan to get its facts clear before commenting on the Doklam issue. Hua Chunying, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Friday that "the Japanese ambassador in India might really want to back India, but I want to warn him not to speak carelessly before he is fully aware of the facts," according to the Global Times. (ibtimes.co.in)

The Japanese ambassador in India Kenji Hiramatsu on Thursday had backed India in the Doklam standoff and told the media: "We understand that the standoff in the Doklam area has been ongoing for nearly two months. As it can affect the stability of the entire region, we have been watching the situation very closely. "We also understand that India has a treaty understanding with Bhutan, that's why Indian troops got involved in the area." (ibtimes.co.in)

The challenges can expand

#Vietnam has confirmed it purchased BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles, co-developed by #India and Russia. #China sees Vietnam's acquisition of BrahMos as a defiance move to strengthen its claim over the disputed South #China Sea. (menafn.com)

Vietnamese reports suggested that #India has started supplying BrahMos missiles to the country in a long-pending deal. #Media outlets in #Vietnam reportedly said that the first batch of the "supersonic anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles" may have arrived days ago. However, Indian Defense Ministry sources reportedly rejected the reports and denied selling the missiles to Vietnam, one ofhina's arch-rivals. (menafn.com)

India today said it will continue to engage with China to find a mutually acceptable solution to the Dokalam standoff, asserting that peace and tranquility on the border is an important pre-requisite for smooth bilateral relationship.

"We will continue to engage with China to find a mutually acceptable solution," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said replying to a volley of questions on the issue.

He said said peace and tranquility in the border areas is an important pre-requisite for smooth development of bilateral relationship.

Asked about incident between Chinese troops and Indian border guards in Ladakh on August 15, the MEA spokesperson said, "Such incidents are not in the interest of either side."

He said two border personnel meetings (BPMs) had taken place between Indian border guards and Chinese troops recently.

He said one BPM had taken place at Chushul on August 16 and another one at Nathu La a week before.

When asked whether China had shared hydrological data with India as floods have severely hit Assam and Bihar, Kumar said no such data was received from Beijing on Brahmaputra this year.

India and China have an existing mechanism under which both countries share hydrological data.

Kumar said non-sharing of hydrological data by China cannot be linked to the current standoff as there can be technical reasons for it.

Can this go out of hand?

Amid a stream of belligerent remarks from China and its state media as well as a troubling skirmish involving soldiers pelting each other with stones in Kashmir, observers now seem to be a bit more jittery about the dangers that come with a prolonged standofff between nuclear-armed neighbours.

Senior army officials from both countries reportedly held a flag meeting following the incident, though there has been no official comment on the matter – beyond India acknowledging that there had been an incident – and some suggest that the flag meet too was inconclusive .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke to each other on the occasion of India’s 71st Independence Day, and resolved to “enhance peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region ” by moving to a 2+2 dialogue format that will see the External Affairs Minister and Defence Ministry regularly meeting America’s Secretaries of State and Defence.

Chinese companies show their power

A Fortune 500 company reportedly fired several Indian employees from its offices in Tehran, before reinstating them when the Indian Embassy there intervened. (ibtimes.co.in)

Huawei, a Fortune 500 company that makes a range of electronic goods, reportedly fired several Indian employees from its offices in Tehran in Iran, before reinstating them when the Indian Embassy there intervened.  The development from earlier this week takes place amid the ongoing standoff between India and China over the Doklam region, and the dispute is believed to have played a role in the sacking of several employees. There has been no official word from Huawei on even the firing and backtracking, let alone the reason behind the initial move.  (ibtimes.co.in)

As India celebrated Independence Day on August 15, an Indian employee of Huawei Iran tweeted out to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Sushma Swaraj: "Huawei Iran has fired all Indian nationals today."

A collage shows tweets by Indian employees at Huawei Iran trying to reach the Prime Minister's Office and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over being fired.Screenshots

The individual, identified as Rohit, also claimed that this was not a "business-related decision," implying that the Chinese firm had fired them because of the ongoing Doklam standoff.

Another individual named Vikrant Singh also tagged the PMO and Swaraj, and said that "all Indian expats working in Huawei Telecomm Iran told verbally to leave Huawei Iran in 1 day [sic]."

They and a few others appealed to the India's External Affairs Ministry to step in and ensure that the matter is addressed.

Meanwhile, certain Pakistani news outlets reported that the layoffs had taken place because the Indians had been accused of stealing data and technology from Huawei. They, however, did not name the company.

Did embassy step in?

It seems that a day after the matter came to light, the Indian Embassy in Iran stepped in to address the concerns of the Huawei employees who had been told to leave without being given a reason.

And the move worked. The very people who had earlier complained of being fired took to Twitter to thank the Embassy because they had been asked to rejoin their duties.

A collage shows an Indian employee of Huawei Iran thanking the External Affairs Ministry for stepping in and saving the jobs of him and his colleagues.Screenshots

There has been no official word — either from Huawei or from India or even from China — over the issue.

A similar development is believed to have played out in Doha, where Huawei Qatar fired Indian employees. However, there is no confirmation on that from even the Indian employees there.

It's going to be bitter

This is not going to be an easy journey for China and India. These are two nuclear powers with home to 1/3rd of humanity. The large size of the population also means that their populations are poor and impoversihed. A war in the region will not just cause harm to them but to the larger humanity. It will also harm all the small nations around it. So may better sense prevail and they back off from this aggressive positioning all for a few hundred kilometers of uninhabitable land.